The present invention relates generally to implantable, radially expandable medical prostheses which are frequently referred to as stent-grafts. In particular, the present invention is a self-expanding stent-graft having a bioabsorbable structural component and a permanent graft component.
Self-expanding stents and methods for fabricating a stent are known and are, for example, shown in the U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,655,771; 4,954,126; 5,061,275; and in 5,645,559. Such devices are used within body vessels of humans for a variety of medical applications. Examples include intravascular stents for treating stenoses, stents for maintaining openings in the urinary, biliary, tracheobronchial, esophageal, renal tracts, and vena cava filters. A stent-graft is described in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 08/640,253, entitled “Cobalt-Chromium-Molybdenum Alloy Stent and Stent Graft,” filed Apr. 30, 1996 (now U.S. Pat. No. 5,891,191).
A delivery device is used to deliver the stent-graft through vessels in the body to a treatment site. The flexible nature and reduced radius of the compressed stent-graft enables it to be delivered through relatively small and curved vessels.
All references cited herein, including the foregoing, are incorporated herein in their entireties for all purposes.